In a flash, the time came in the autumn of 1941. A lot of things happened in between, and the biggest impact on the world was that the mustache finally launched a ferocious attack on the Soviet Union. Thanks to Zheng Weiguo's blessing, Hans in this time and space is far more powerful than in parallel space. Whether it is tactics, equipment, or war potential (penicillin increases manpower in disguise, oil strengthens the industrial base).

Historically, due to the extreme shortage of oil, the Hans had to set up a large number of synthetic oil factories, which although they refined a lot of fuel, but greatly consumed Germany's valuable industrial capacity. You must know that the industrial scale of Germany is not as large as that of the United States, and even less than that of the Soviet Union (although the technology is backward, but the stall is large and can withstand tossing).

In this plane, since a large number of oil fields have been found in the mainland, there is naturally no need to focus on oil refining. With the savings in industrial capacity, the war maniac Mustache built more tanks, planes, and artillery, which were not only huge in quantity, but also better in quality than in history. However, the Soviet side refused to fully cooperate with Zheng Huzi, and basically remained the same, and as a result, it was blinded by the mustache's blitzkrieg as soon as the war began.

The Germans marched all the way, and in just 10 days, they advanced 700 kilometers into Soviet territory (100 kilometers more than in history). On the first day of fighting alone, the Soviet Red Army lost 1,500 aircraft, 800 of which were blown up before they could take off.

Subsequently, the Germans divided into three routes and advanced separately. the Northern Road, with Leningrad as the goal; the middle lane, with Moscow as the target; South Road, aiming at Stalingrad. Due to backward tactics, lack of preparation, and the bad effects of years of rebellion. The Soviet army was simply vulnerable, losing its armor along the way. Four months before the start of the war (June to September), the Soviets suffered a devastating blow, with losses of 3.3 million men (500,000 more than in history).

However, the Soviet Union was finally relieved by the first wave of German attacks after suffering heavy losses. Right now, the Soviets are fighting fiercely with the Germans in Leningrad. At the same time, Mustache gathered troops in Moscow, a total of 100 divisions of about 1.2 million people, supported by 2,500 tanks and 15,000 artillery pieces, ready to attack Moscow. Although the German army was much stronger than it was in history. But it is still difficult to predict whether Moscow will be taken. The only thing that is certain is. Hans and the Furry Bear will shed more blood here.

After talking about abroad, let's talk about domestic. The fighting in North China is still raging, but the fighting has shifted to Ping'an County and the surrounding areas. Since the battle successfully attracted the attention of the Japanese army to Ping'an County, the two sides have been fighting fiercely here for half a year. This is also so far. The longest and fiercest battle between China and Japan.

The eastern part of Ping'an County. Erlong Mountain.

A well-equipped cavalry was galloping in the direction of the county seat. It is worth mentioning. The number of officers in this unit was surprisingly much higher, and in the ranks of less than 200 people, there were more than 10 junior officers alone. There were seven or eight lieutenant officers left.

A Shao Zuo complained: "The North China Front is really bad, and it can't even raise a few cars, so we have to ride into the mountains." ”

A Nakasa next to him gloated and said: "Ha Luha, Nagata-kun, I remember that you graduated from Xi Shino Cavalry School, and you even hated horseback riding one day, is it because your butt is worn out?" ”

Nagata Shaozo snorted, and was about to sneer at each other. A captain next to him suddenly interjected: "Nagata-kun is also from the Xi Shino Cavalry School?" So it's still my senior! "The captain looked very young in his twenties. If you look closely, you will see that the saber on his waist is actually a yellow handle.

"Yes, Your Highness! It's a privilege to be in the same school as you. Nagata Shaozo didn't feel offended at all, but replied very respectfully, it seems that this captain is not small.

In the face of Shaozuo's compliment, the captain seemed very happy, and with Nagata and others making friends, the two sides quickly got together and chatted happily.

In the middle of the ranks, a general with the rank of lieutenant general frowned and muttered, "It's too bad to lose the railway line!" ”

The adjutant next to him agreed: "Yes, the supplies are all transported by car, and they can't meet the needs of the front line at all." And I found out that the number of cars was also insufficient, and the wounded turned out to be transported in horse-drawn carts. ”

The lieutenant general nodded and said in a deep voice: "Sodosne, it seems that the situation at the front is really bad. We've seen a lot of convoys transporting the wounded since we came from Beiping, right? ”

The adjutant nodded and said, "That's right, Your Excellency General!" As he spoke, he suddenly seemed to have discovered something, and hurriedly picked up the telescope and looked ahead.

I saw a team of horse-drawn carriages gurgling from the road at the foot of Erlong Mountain. The car was covered with white cloth, and I didn't know what it was loaded with. However, the first car had a plaster flag on it, and it was clear that this was supposed to be a heavy force of the Japanese army. However, it is very strange that the Japanese soldiers who escorted them were all dejected, and even the horses pulling the cart looked listless.

Soon, the escorted Japanese soldiers also spotted the cavalry. To the adjutant's surprise, the soldiers climbed into the car to get their guns and aim in this direction. Probably too nervous, quite a few people tried several times before pulling the bolt open.

Could it be that the people of China are disguised? The adjutant's heart tightened, and he hurriedly ordered: "It may be the enemy, prepare for battle!" ”

"Slow!" The lieutenant general shouted: "It should be a misunderstanding." If it were the enemy, it would have opened fire a long time ago. And here is the sphere of control of our army, how can there be a convoy of enemy troops? Go ahead and send someone to contact them! ”

"Hello!"

"Phew!" The cavalrymen reined in their horses and waved flags to indicate that they were their own people. However, the Japanese soldiers who escorted the cart did not let their guard down. Instead, one by one, they carried their guns and carefully hid themselves behind the carriage. The adjutant was so angry and amused that he gently pinched the horse's belly with his leg and rode up to him, shouting: "Don't shoot, it's your own people!" ”

The leader of the escort unit asked cautiously, "Stop, who are you?" ”

The adjutant yelled with some annoyance: "Baga! Are you blind, the commander's uniform can't be seen? As he spoke, he pulled his collar badge to show them. The two bars and one star indicate his identity as a young minister.

The captain of the detachment shouted unconvinced: "There is such a military uniform Zheng Huzi, who knows if you are real!" ”

The adjutant was furious, jumped off his horse with a thud, and drew his whip to give them a good look. Behind him, a Japanese general with the rank of lieutenant general hurriedly raised his hand and said, "Stop, Maori-kun!" ”

The Maori adjutant pointed at the soldiers with his horsewhip and said, "Your Excellency, these guys don't take you seriously at all, it's really unbelievable!" ”

The lieutenant general asked with a displeased face, "Maori-kun, will you listen to me?" ”

The Maori adjutant was in his heart, and he leaned on his legs, bowed his head and said, "Hai! ”

The lieutenant general raised his white-gloved hand. Ordered: "Go." Hand them our documents and check their identities by the way. ”

"Hello!"

……

After some careful verification, the two sides finally figured out that the soldiers escorting the carriage belonged to the 224th Infantry Wing of the 36th Division. Their unit had just fought a bloody battle against Zheng Huzi's Mountain Independent Division in the mountains. The casualties were significant. Therefore, the remains of the fallen soldiers were sent back to China for burial.

And the other side is not small. They were field observation missions sent directly from the military department. The regiment commander, Lieutenant General Tsukada, is currently the deputy chief of staff. He was originally a close confidant of Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, but he had a different view of the southward expansion and took a tough stance (he continued to reject Foreign Minister Shigetoku Togo). Minister Kaya Konobu Treasury, Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and Minister of the Navy Shigetaro Shimada). And Hideki Tojo was a person who was not very open-minded, so he kicked him to the front line in a fit of rage.

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency, please forgive us for our rudeness!" The detachment leader trembled and exchanged Tsukada's documents with their hands.

Tsukada laughed and said, "No, Captain Wu! On the contrary, I see in you the most valuable quality of the Imperial soldier - rigor! ”

The captain of the detachment lowered his head in shame, blushed and said, "I can't tell you the truth, Your Excellency General, these are all experiences that have been exchanged for blood on the battlefield. ”

Tsukada was stunned for a moment, and said in surprise: "Could it be that the people of Shina often disguise themselves as imperial soldiers?" ”

"Yes, Your Excellency!" The captain of the detachment gritted his teeth and said: "It's just unscrupulous. ”

A wave of anger rose in Tsukada's face, and he opened his mouth and was about to say something.

A military horse suddenly took a few steps forward, jumped slightly, and then the man stood up. On horseback was the lieutenant officer with the yellow knife handle, which was very conspicuous in a group of junior officers.

"Uh, sorry!" The captain's immature face was slightly red, and he looked a little embarrassed, and hurriedly said, "I just want to know what is on the road." Isn't it supposed to send supplies to the front? ”

The Maori adjutant was afraid that these ruffians would say something disrespectful, so he hurriedly explained: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the younger brother of His Majesty the Emperor, Prince Takahito of Mikasa Palace, who has come to express his condolences to the soldiers on the front line on behalf of the royal family. ”

Hirohito has four brothers, and Takahito is the youngest of them, and there is a big age gap between him and his elder brothers. It was not until 1936 that he graduated from the 48th class of the Army Non-commissioned Officer School, and his teacher was the famous jackal staff officer Masanobu Tsuji. After that, he studied at the Narashino Cavalry School and the Army University.

On October 22, 1941, Takahito had just married Yuriko, the second daughter of Viscount Takagi Masatoku. Since the Japanese imperial family has a tradition of joining the army, he was stuffed into this observation group by his brother just after his honeymoon. An errand like this is safe and can mix qualifications, so why not do it?

The soldiers who were escorting the escort were taken aback when they heard this, and hurriedly bowed their heads and saluted. The captain of the detachment secretly glanced at the yellow knife handle on Prince Chongren's waist, and hurriedly replied: "Report to Your Highness, the car is full of the remains of loyal and brave soldiers. ”

Lieutenant General Tsukada and Prince Takahito were taken aback, jumped off their horses, took off their military hats, and saluted the carriages. The other officers also hurriedly saluted.

Prince Chongren sighed and said, "Gentlemen, I didn't expect to see a tragic scene as soon as I arrived in Ping'an County. Alas, these loyal soldiers of the empire will never see their families again! The others nodded their heads, but there were no sad looks. For high-ranking generals, especially Japanese generals, how many people died did not care at all.

Lieutenant General Tsukada counted the carriages and found that there were only thirteen, and even if there were ten corpses dragged on each cart, the total was only more than a hundred, which was completely affordable for the Japanese army. So he hurriedly comforted: "Your Highness don't be sad, for the sake of the empire's holy war." The sacrifice was well worth it. ”

He also quipped: "I always hear bad news, and I thought the casualties had reached an unimaginable level." Now it seems that most of it was Okamura-kun who made a means to get more supplies. ”

The other officers laughed, some jokingly.

The captain of the detachment changed his face several times when he heard this, suddenly gritted his teeth, walked to the carriage and ripped off the white cloth with a bang, revealing several large and small clay jars. Although these clay pots are not small, it is still very difficult to put a corpse in them, and I don't know what is contained in the tunnel. The other escort soldiers also tore off the white cloth from the carriage, without exception. All of them are large and small clay pots or clay pots.

Lieutenant General Tsukada and Prince Takahito were taken aback. I couldn't help but wonder: "This is?" ”

The captain of the detachment had a sad face, suddenly opened a clay jar, knelt down to the side and choked up: "Please take a look at Your Excellency the General and His Royal Highness the Prince!" ”

Prince Takahito of Mikasa Palace was so young that he hurriedly walked to the carriage when he heard this. Holding the vat in one hand. Tiptoe and look in. Unexpectedly, a pungent smell of blood came to his face, which made the prince nauseous. Prince Chongren forcibly glanced into the jar, and then reached in and pulled it. Suddenly, his face changed drastically, and he ran to the side of the road and vomited desperately. Several officers were startled, and hurriedly ran to Prince Chongren's side to pat him on the back and hand him water, serving him very attentively.

Lieutenant General Tsukada's face changed slightly, and he suddenly shouted: "Move down!" ”

"Hello!"

Several soldiers hurriedly moved a large vat and looked up to the generals. Everyone hurriedly gathered around to take a look, and couldn't help but be surprised, it turned out that there were bloody fingers in the tank, all wrapped in white cloth. A Shaozo picked it up and saw that the name and position of the deceased were written on the white cloth, as well as the time and reason for his death.

Of course, the inside of the tank is not full of fingers, and it is also sprinkled with salt, which is estimated to be embalming. The Maori adjutant rushed to the carriage like madness, opening several vats in succession, and without exception, all of them were fingers.

Lieutenant General Tsukada was shocked and angry, and asked repeatedly: "This, what the hell is going on?" ”

The detachment leader cried bitterly: "Your Excellency General, our wing was ambushed by the Chinese people in the mountains, and suffered heavy casualties, and the remains of the loyal and brave soldiers are too many to be carried, so we can only cut off a finger and bring it back to China to comfort their families." ”

Lieutenant General Tsukada felt creepy, and hurriedly asked, "Nani? When did this happen, and why didn't we get a report? ”

The captain of the detachment said bitterly: "It must be that the commander concealed the battle situation, and the blood of the loyal and brave soldiers was shed in vain!" As he spoke, he and his subordinates began to cry loudly.

With a heavy heart bidding farewell to this "corpse transport team", Lieutenant General Tsukada and his party continued to hurry. Prince Takahito Mikasa was still with the team, but he vomited too much just now, and his face looked very pale. The farther west I went, the worse the road became, and the road, which would have taken only two or three hours, took four or five hours. By the time they arrived at Ping'an County before dark, the faces of Tsukada and the others were already as dark as the bottom of a pot.

After checking the documents, the group rushed to the Japanese headquarters outside the east gate in a rage. Along the way, you can see batches of wounded people from time to time, and white tents are set up on several acres of land.

"What about Yamashita Fengwen?" Lieutenant General Tsukada shouted angrily and asked, "Quick, call him to see me!" ”

Yamashita Fumi, the commander of the 36th Division, Lieutenant General Iseki, and the chief of staff, Shintaro Imamura, were not there, and the deputy division commander, Major General Yamauchi Masafumi (within the Japanese army, the deputy commander was only in charge of logistics, and his status was not as good as that of the chief of staff). After saluting each other, Yamauchi Masafumi suddenly spotted Prince Takahito Mikasanomiya with a yellow knife handle, and hurriedly bowed and said hello.

Lieutenant General Tsukada asked impatiently, "Major General, what about Lieutenant General Yamashita Hofumi and Lieutenant General Iseki?" ”

Major General Yamauchi Masafumi hurriedly said: "Report to Your Excellency General, Commander Yamashita and Lieutenant General Iseki are leading their troops to fight a bloody battle with the enemy on the front line!" ”

Prince Takahito of Mikasa Palace finally couldn't help it, and jumped out and scolded: "Yaga! Was the result of the bloody battle the fingers of a dozen wagons? ”

When Major General Yamanouchi heard this, the sweat on his head suddenly rolled out, and he hurriedly bowed his head and pleaded guilty.

Lieutenant General Tsukada stopped Prince Takahito Mikasanomiya, who was still scolding, and said in a deep voice: "Let's talk about it, Yamanouchi-kun, what is going on?" ”

When Yamauchi heard this, he hurriedly talked about the bitter past few months with a handful of snot and tears. At first, the Japanese army was transferred to the 8th Brigade and the 14th Division to besiege western Hebei, and the superintendent Yamashita Fengwen personally commanded it. Unexpectedly, he was attacked head-on by the defenders in the Taihang Mountains.

Prince Chongren rebuked: "Couldn't the powerful Imperial Army even defeat those third-rate troops? ”

Yamauchi Masafumi hurriedly defended: "Your Highness. The army in North China is extremely strong in combat, and it is not a third-rate army at all! ”

Prince Takahito looked at Lieutenant General Tsukada with some suspicion, and Lieutenant General Tsukada nodded and said, "What Yamanuchi said is right! According to my survey and statistics at the General Staff Headquarters, the Chinese Army in North China is the strongest in combat effectiveness, especially the troops of Zheng Huzi's descendants. His men are well-trained, well-equipped, disciplined, and tactically nimble, the most formidable opponents the Imperial Army has ever faced? ”

"Nani?" Prince Chongren was surprised and said, "But I heard that. He's a warlord. How can it be more powerful than the Chongqing Army? ”

Lieutenant General Tsukada snorted and explained, "That's all propaganda done by the empire in order to weaken the will of the Shina people to resist. We can't believe the things that deceived that person. ”

Prince Chongren nodded awkwardly when he heard this.

Yamashita Uchi's text continues. Wait for the Japanese army to finally clear the perimeter. After the invasion of Ping'an County. It was also attacked by the newly formed Independent Mountain Division directly under the Central Government of the Second World War Zone. The Mountain Independent Division was formed by Zheng Weiguo with the Ping'an County Security Regiment (formerly known as the 34th Brigade) as the backbone, and a large number of combat backbones and technical units drawn from other units. Division commander Hu Yixuan was the best general in the World War II zone and fought defensive battles.

This unit was extremely difficult to deal with, inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese army. Only half a month has passed, and the casualties of the 8th Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade have reached more than 3,000 people, and they have directly lost their combat effectiveness.

Okamura had no choice but to temporarily abandon the newly occupied southern Hebei and order the independent mixed 1st Brigade to participate in the attack on Ping'an County. After paying a heavy price, the Japanese army finally occupied the area of the old county seat of Ping'an County, but they were unable to continue their advance.

In desperation, Okamura had no choice but to send troops to reinforce him, and ordered the Japanese troops who had invaded Jinchaji to go south by separate routes and completely blockade Ping'an County.

Those who have read the previous chapters know that the main part of this Ping'an County is at the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain, next to Shanxi Province, of which the tenth district is in Shanxi Province, which was later opened up by Zheng Huzi. If the Japanese army wanted to blockade, it had to fight with the Eighth Route Army in Taihang District, and finally repelled the main force of the Eighth Route Army, but the Japanese army was depressed to find that there was no way to blockade this mountainous area. Because Taihang Mountain is too big, the mountains are high and dense, and there are many paths, so it is impossible to block all the roads.

After several months of fighting, the attacking troops changed one after another, but the Japanese army always had no way to take Ping'an County. Because medicines, food, and other supplies from outside have been continuously sent to the mountains. There is also an arsenal in the mountain, and the workers know that the situation is critical, and everyone is using all their strength to feed, and boxes and boxes of ammunition are sent out every day.

At the same time, the Eighth Route Army also continued to send reinforcements, all of whom were veterans who had fought with the Japanese devils. As much as the mountain independent division loses, it will be replenished from the outside. In this case, unless the Japanese army can destroy the independent division of the mountains in a structured way, there is no way to take Ping'an County.

On the other hand, the Japanese army first had to transport supplies from the northeast to Beiping, and then from Beiping to Ping'an County, and then from Ping'an County to the mountains. Due to the complete destruction of the railway, the cost of transportation is prohibitively high. Although Okamura Ninji guards the highway extremely well, he always consumes gasoline, right? That alone has overwhelmed Japan.

And Hu Yixuan is not the kind of master who only knows how to defend the road, he takes advantage of the terrain to constantly attack, and often sends the Blue Eagle troops to disguise themselves as Japanese soldiers to sabotage and harass everywhere, making the Japanese army dizzy. The headquarters of the 36th Division, which had arrived a few days earlier, was also attacked, causing heavy casualties to the Japanese. The commander of the division, Lieutenant General Jing Seki, angrily ordered the 224th Wing to pursue, but was ambushed and almost completely annihilated. Tsukada attacked those fingers they saw on the road.

When the generals of the observation group heard this, they couldn't help but look at each other, and when they thought of the tragic situation of the army, they hung their heads down one after another, like frosted eggplants. Lieutenant General Tsukada hesitated for a moment and asked, "Yamashita Uchi-kun, what is your opinion on this battle?" ”

A frightened look flashed in the eyes of the mountain Naijimon, and he hurriedly replied: "Your Excellency General, please forgive me for being blunt. Ping'an County is a huge grinding plate that will squeeze the blood of the empire drop by drop. ”

He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "There is no other way but to end this battle quickly!" As soon as the words fell, the Japanese generals were all taken aback, and even Prince Chongren was shocked when he heard it. (To be continued......)

PS: A friend said that the popularity of this book is declining, and I read it too, and there were rewards at the beginning of the month, and now there are not even many people who vote for recommendations. After analyzing it, I think it's mostly because the plot of the first few chapters is too protracted, and it's a relatively aggrieved plot. So from this chapter onwards, I'll speed up the progress, so I can get into the cooler counteroffensive part early.